Topology’s Post

BOSTON GLOBE: “Wu’s rezoning effort gets first BPDA approval”

Boston Mayor Michelle Wu’s ambitious plan to create more housing in neighborhood centers across the city through a new approach to zoning took a big step forward Thursday. 
The Boston Planning and Development Agency board approved an update to the city’s zoning code allowing for six “Squares + Streets” districts. The districts would allow for a range of residential and community uses along main streets, but would prohibit research labs and “large-scale industrial and vehicular uses,” according to a BPDA presentation. […] In an approach known as “form-based zoning,” the move would set more standard zoning districts across the city. The process would allow residents to choose future redevelopment options from these defined templates, rather than developers requesting piecemeal zoning updates for individual projects. https://lnkd.in/eqqukeUz

🌐 Big News in Sacramento Land Development! 🏡 The City Council just approved a game-changing upzoning proposal to boost housing in single-family neighborhoods and near transit. 👏🏽 This move replaces restrictive zoning, allowing more units based on overall building size. Kudos to #Sacramento for a forward-thinking approach to address the housing crisis! #LandDevelopment #HousingCrisis #UrbanPlanning

Glad to see Town of Huntington Supervisor Ed Smyth counter the claims of insanely large scale buildout for the Melville corridor. Prior plans from NYS overuling local zoning truly had as of right buildouts that were 7-14,000 units per community. From an initial read the Melville plan is nowhere near even that let alone the 40,000 units some folks are claiming. There are upcoming public hearings on the Melville plan where folks can weigh in and the largest voices in this should be the folks who live and work in the area as they will be most impacted. Before folks blindly join the anti development wave that has emerged due to NYS proposals for housing mandates recognize that this plan has nothing to do with NYS. These proposals have been planned locally with multiple public meetings with lots of input from a range of community and local business leaders. https://lnkd.in/ezeqYCZb

Marin County's housing landscape is set for significant changes with its municipalities finalizing zoning updates for the 2023-31 period. 🏘️📈 The state's mandate requires 14,405 new residences in Marin, a substantial increase from the previous cycle. This is part of California's broader goal to build 2.5 million new homes by 2030, focusing on affordable housing. 📍 Key Points: - Local zoning amendments are underway to align with the state's housing objectives. - Some jurisdictions face tight deadlines for rezoning, depending on when their housing elements were certified. 🏠 Marin's Response: - Towns like Tiburon and Mill Valley are actively considering rezoning to meet state requirements. - Other areas, including San Anselmo and Fairfax, are updating their housing elements and zoning by month-end. - Each municipality has its unique target for new residences, with most planning a buffer beyond the state's mandate. For more detailed information on how this impacts your area, stay connected with local planning departments. Interested in learning how these changes might affect you? Reach out to Madeline to learn more. (415) 515-9357 #MarinCountyHousing #StateMandates #LocalZoning #HousingDevelopment #CommunityPlanning

Cincinnati's long-awaited zoning overhaul: what you need to know Contact me to discuss the latest scoop in real estate! #cincinnatihomes #cincinnatirealestateagent #livingincincinnati #cincinnatirealestate #ohiorealestate #ohiorealtors

Exciting news! The Massachusetts Affordable Housing Act was signed into law last week, bringing with it significant progress, including a provision that mandates Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs) be allowed by right in all districts permitting single-family homes. But here's the catch. If you're serious about encouraging ADUs in your community (and you should be!), it's crucial to closely examine your dimensional requirements. In many Massachusetts communities we work with, we find that existing residential developments are often denser than current zoning allows—meaning smaller lot sizes, reduced yard setbacks, and narrower frontage. These neighborhoods were typically built long before current zoning regulations were established, and zoning has often been used to "downzone" these areas, creating barriers to building more units—even when they fit perfectly within the existing development pattern. This common scenario results in neighborhoods full of single-family homes that are technically non-conforming. While the new legislation allows ADUs in all single-family neighborhoods, communities can still require ADUs to comply with existing zoning codes’ minimum dimensional requirements under “reasonable regulations.” Although this might seem logical on paper, if communities don’t proactively amend their zoning to reflect the existing development patterns, a significant barrier to ADU development could remain. Take a look at a recent spatial analysis by our JM Goldson team for the Town of Danvers: a striking 78% of all parcels don’t meet current zoning requirements for lot size and frontage! #massachusettsaffordablehousingact #affordablehousingact #affordablehousing #ADU #accessorydwellingunit #missingmiddle #missingmiddlehousing #urbanplanning #communityplanning

We at CWA and CES understand how important real qualitative data can be when working on all urban planning solutions. Studies can point to evidence that support their findings however, when it comes to every day life, it is just as important to review actual examples of how well the implementation of learned policies worked. This is why we'd like to share the following information surrounding the Michigan Association of Planning's Zoning reform references and solutions. Specifically the "Zoning Reform Stories and Studies Toolkit that covers how planning staff, planning commissioners, municipal managers, zoning administrators, and even an elected official or two from 22 communities sat down with MAP and talked frankly, seriously, and technically about housing in their communities." Follow this link to learn more: https://lnkd.in/eeJi9qyr #planning #Michigan #housing #zoning #reform #solutions #qualitative #data

Read about the evolution of #Berkeley's zoning regulations and their potential impact on housing development in CP&DR. Delve into the city's plan and firsthand comments from city councilmembers as Berkeley considers #upzoning to address #housing shortages and social equity concerns: https://lnkd.in/gsyTdV2D

In many cases, red flags associated with zoning can be easily identified by project owners with the right level of research. By doing a little research beforehand, you can plan for potential zoning challenges you might face. Here’s our advice on what to look out for when starting the zoning process for your New Jersey home: https://lttr.ai/AJMOQ #ZoningRegulations #NewJersey

🏡 Exciting progress for Cincinnati’s future. Happy to share Planetizen's article "Cincinnati’s Controversial Zoning Plan Clears First Hurdle." The Cincinnati planning commission, on May 17th, approved the Connected Communities zoning plan, a major step towards revitalizing Cincinnati's neighborhoods. This innovative plan, which has been in development for two years with extensive public engagement, seeks to modernize zoning codes that have limited neighborhood growth since the 1960s. 🔍 Dive into details about What's Next and the debate between critics and advocates for Cincinnati's Connected Communities proposal: https://lnkd.in/dFHsNuHT 🛠️ At Opticos Design, we are proud to have played a key role in shaping Cincinnati's citywide Form-Based Code (FBC) and integrating it with the form-based framework for the city's Comprehensive Plan, Plan Cincinnati. #UrbanPlanning #FormBasedCode #Cincinnati #LivableCommunities